MCP split over demos: ‘Some people with ill-intention giving Chakwera bad advice’
Some concerned members of main opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP), on Monday, pleaded with the party leadership to restrain the party’s supporters from participating in the current anti-Jane Ansah demonstrations being organised by the Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC).
The protests, that have turned violent, are aimed at forcing Ansah to resign as the Chairperson of the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) on allegations that she mismanaged the presidential election in May.
But Ansah, a judge at Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal, has insisted that she would not resign.
Still determined to force her out, HRDC is set to hold the fifth round of the demonstrations on Tuesday in the four cities of Malawi.
And in the Capital Lilongwe the protests will end with a two-day vigil at Capital Hill, the headquarters of the government.
However at a press conference in Lilongwe, the concerned MCP members, who claim that they are representing so many other members in the party including District Chairpersons, said they are now tired of demonstrating and just want to wait for the outcome of the presidential election case in the Constitutional Court.
Apparently, MCP and UTM party challenged the presidential election results in the Constitutional Court, alleging that the results were rigged in favour of President Peter Mutharika.
“Ife tikuona kuti kunamizana kwachuluka. Tikudziwa kuti chisankho tinaluza koma anthu ena azolinga zoipa anapita ndi uphungu woipa kwa Mtsogoleri wathu Chakwera. Chofunika ndichoti tivomere kuti timange chipani. Ngati sitikutero, ndiye tiyeni tidikire chigamulo cha Court. (We believe we are being cheated. We all know that we lost the election. But there are some people with ill intentions who are giving bad advice to our president. We need to accept that we lost the election so we can move on building the party. If not, let’s wait for what the court will say),” reads their statement.
The concerned MCP members, led by Levison Banda and Jacob Banda, said it is high time the court was left alone to do its job.
“We cannot continue to be deceived that the protests are peaceful when they are actually violent and lead to burning of public buildings and looting of shops and destruction of businesses.
“It is sad that some people in MCP are not advising the party’s president well. The party needed to begin ground work to strategize for its future.
“We are discouraging our friends from taking part in these demonstrations because we feel they are not being organized in good faith,” says in part a statement read out at the press conference.
MCP leadership was not immediately available to comment.
The coming out of the District Chairmen also symbolises the discomfort some senior members of the party are experiencing as they watch MCP regressing to a record of violence which characterised the party in its 31 year rule. Chakwera, a reverend, was entrusted with the leadership of the party in 2013 in a desperate bid to rebuild it. That rebuilding has collapsed.
No wonder that the District Chairmen are worried with the future of the oldest party.
“Anthu ambiri akumudzi okonda chipani cha MCP akudandaula kuti nkhanza zimene tikuchitira a Malawi komanso ife tokhatokha a Congress kuphatikizapo mafumu zikupha chipani. Tidzafuna anthu ake omwewa kuti adzativotere. (Our followers in rural areas are worried that the brutality we are unleashing on Malawians, on our own members and chiefs is destroying the party. We will need the same people we are victimizing to vote for us).”
So many other stakeholders including the government have condemned the violent protests, saying they are further bringing the country down.
And government just made an application in the High Court to restrain HRDC from holding the demonstrations on the basis that they are violent, but the court has reserved its ruling on the matter to a later date.
Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :
Please take a very good look at them, ma Cadet amenewa tikumana ku ma line
Tatopa ndi ma demo kkkkk which MCP yatopa ndikudandaula pomwe mandandowo sanayankhidwe? Mchewa amasiya kulima fodya ngakhale mitengo ya chaka chatha inali yotsika? Tippex ameneyu DPP cadets at work.
Achewa a Nyau at its best. Takudziwani
Anthu akudziwani
I think the understanding of these demos is different, as other people still don’t understand that these demos are for Malawians (Citizens of the Republic of Malawi) and not political parties.
Chakakala………….. You are saying people are tired and MCP is getting bad publicity! You are not right. Which people are you talking about?
Each time demos are held numbers of protesters are swelling up. It just shows you how much people hate and dislike dishonesty. Why do you condone evil? Stealing is stealing and nothing will change the fact that results were altered. People want change.
These are stupid cadets masquerading as MCP supporters. Look at their faces. It simply shows that have pocketed some money to uttr such rubbish.
kulamula ndikofunika
DPP IS SO DESPERATE AND IT DOES NOT MIND BUYING PEOPLE
THESE PEOPLE HAVE MONEY TO SPEND O USELESS THINGS
MCP Ya Bwanali imene ikudya ndalama zImene DPP ikubera a Malawi kuti anthu ogwira ntchito m’boma akhale asanalandiribe mpakana lero
Kikkkkk which MCP are they from?